Friends of the Little Miami State Park

The Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the stewardship of the Little Miami State Park. You'll find lots of information here about our wonderful trail and the people who are working to make it better. We hope you can visit, soon.

Share of $88.5 Million to Benefit Trail

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director James Zehringer announced on June 11 that Little Miami State Park will share in the $88.5 million that Ohio has recently allocated for State Parks, saying funds will go toward new culverts, shoring up slippage areas, repaving some sections, and other needed improvements to the trail.More

Repaving of 1.6 miles of trail completed!Thanks to our recent federal grant award, sections of trail in the poorest condition have now been repaved. Work was completed on schedule by McDaniel's Construction and Sheedy Paving. Enjoy the smooth ride!

The State of Ohio Recognizes the Trail

The State of Ohio recognizes the Little Miami Scenic Trail as the 2014 Reader's Ballot Best of Ohio Bike Trail. Click the image to the left to read Governor John R. Kasich and lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor's official acknowledgement.

We are deeply appreciative to be honored this way and will continue working hard to maintain our beautiful trail.

Madeira High School Workday

On May 16, 2014, three teachers and 26 students from Madeira High School worked four hours sprucing up a half-mile section of trail near Terrace Park. Don Mills of Friends of the Little Miami State Park supervised the group. Thank you to all the workers!

FLMSP Receives $150,000 Recreational Trails Grant!

Exciting news! Friends of the Little Miami State Park has been awarded the $150,000 federal grant from the Recreational Trails Program! Together with the $37,000 pledged by supporters, a total of $187,000 will now be invested in making significant improvements in the Little Miami State Park. These include drainage and erosion remedies and the first repaving in 25 years of crumbling sections. Planning for individual projects is underway so work can begin as soon as weather permits.

The awarding of this large grant is the direct result of the dedication of our supporters. Last October 10, we first announced this grant opportunity, explaining that it depended on $37,000 in donations to qualify for the 4:1 matching funds. On October 28, just 18 days later, we had reached our goal in pledges. The response was proof that “trail people” appreciate this invaluable community resource and love to give back.

Thank you to all who were a part of this initiative that ensures our trail will be beautiful and safe for many years to come.

FLMSP Plans for the FutureMarch 17, 2014

A new Strategic Plan for FLMSP is good news. It means our organization has grown in size, scope, and resources, and we have accomplished some of our original goals; it’s time to move ahead. Although the Board is still at work on the new Plan, the structure and key points are in place.

The mission of the Friends of the Little Miami State Park is to create a rewarding user experience on the 50-mile Little Miami State Park trail by improving its safety, condition, convenience, and beauty in a manner consistent with its natural river setting. The board has identified seven main goals to accomplish this mission, prioritizing them based on a recent user survey.

Trail Safety is a top-priority goal. Safety includes limiting trail access to marked public locations, preventing criminal activity, improving warnings for both motorists and trail users at road intersections, marking location by tenths of a mile to facilitate emergency response, educating users about high risk areas, maintaining a safe trail surface and berm, and providing fencing where needed. Read about the remaining six goals here.

Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson Employees Volunteer a Day on the Trail

Thanks to 30 volunteers from the Blue Ash Johnson & Johnson facility, drainage problems on the trail between Center St. and Beech St. near Loveland are one step closer to a remedy. The team of Ethicon employees led by Bill and Betsy Schwinn and Don and Judy Mills of FLMSP worked hard on November 15 to cut and stack large quantities of brush along the three-quarter-mile trail section, clearing lines of sight in preparation for professional surveying and design of a new drainage ditch and culvert. View more photos here.

Kings High School Service DaySept. 2013

On September 11 of each year, seniors from Kings High School participate in a National Day of Service by volunteering to do various types of community service. This year two groups of 8 students each, as part of their commitment, volunteered to work on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. One group worked on the Grandin Road to South Lebanon trail segment and the other group worked on the South Lebanon to Stubbs Mill Road trail segment. The student volunteers trimmed brush, picked up litter, and cleared culverts. FLMSP trail adopters Kathy Maurer, Maxine Fischer, and Gary Standafer supervised the student work.

Using shovels and wheelbarrows, the students cleared drains from two culverts that were completely covered by soil and debris, as well as a sizable area around the drains. The culverts will now run fast and clear preventing overflow of water and erosion of the trail. An estimated four tons of soil and debris--not counting the mud on the students' clothes--were removed from the two blocked drains. Thank you, students, for a job very well done! More photos

FLMSP in the Cincinnati Enquirer!

Volunteer group helps maintain Little Miami trail

After three bikers injured themselves in separate incidents in 2008 on wooden bridges on the Little Miami Scenic Trail – one that resulted in temporary paralysis – Simeon Copple decided something needed to be done to make the trail safer.

Copple, of West Chester Township, is the former owner of Corwin Peddler, a business along the trail. He helped form a volunteer group to take care of the trail. In November 2008, he organized the first meeting of Friends of the Little Miami State Park, which drew 60 people. . . Read More

Ohio to Erie Trail is cover story

The Little Miami Scenic Trail is part of the Ohio to Erie trail, moving closer to completion. It's the cover story in the Fall 2013 edition of Rails to Trails Magazine, and you can read it all by following the link below.

“The Ohio to Erie Trail travels 300 miles from the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati to the rolling hills of rural Amish country and on to the sandy shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. When the trail is finally complete— more than 70 percent of it is open for use—it will be the longest paved off-road trail in the country. Along the way, it showcases the best of Ohio. . . .”

Many of us who love the Little Miami State Park enjoy its unmatched long-distance riding experience but don’t appreciate its natural beauty. Maybe it’s time to slow down and take advice from local photographer Seth Johnson. He blogs about the beauty he sees in his everyday world, with an emphasis on sights along the trail. You can find him at http://sethsnap.com/. Seth has dedicated a gallery to trail photos at http://sethsnap.photoshelter.com/gallery/The-Trail/G0000g1tKy6giEoY .

Seth wants his work to show that “by stopping and paying attention to my surroundings, I discover amazing things.” He devotes a great deal of time to landscape, nature and wildlife photography because he lives in a rural area. He is also enjoys city and street scenes and taking photos of people. His love of photography came from his mom, who also loved snapping moments.

Although Seth is currently inspired by the beauty of the southwestern Ohio, his background is wide-ranging. Born and raised in the Deep South, he holds a B.A. in History and French from the University of Mississippi and a J.D. from The University of Dayton. He lived in New York City for a couple of years and has resided in the Cincinnati area since 1999. Currently working in legal research, he teaches classes at a local university.

Besides enjoying the beauty of the trail, Seth is also stepping forward to become an FLMSP volunteer. Like all volunteers, Seth has many options to consider, from helping with publicity to becoming an Adopt-a-Trail worker.

Before you take your next ride, visit http://sethsnap.com/ to help open your eyes to the amazing sights along the trail.

Bike Trail Impacts Property ValuesBy Jay Warren, WCPO.comMIAMIVILLE, Ohio - Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say the closer you live to a Little Miami Bike Trail head the more your home is worth. "Multi-purpose trails have a significant influence on the price of houses when they lie within close proximity to the trail," assert Professors Olivier Parent and Rainer vom Hofe. Read more.

FLMSP recognized for rapid storm response

“…largest turnout of friends/volunteers to an emergency situation in Ohio State Parks history.”More.

CINCINNATI — July 2, 2012 — Early on Saturday morning, June 30, after a violent storm, the Segment Adopters of the Friends of the Little Miami State Park (FLMSP) mobilized to deal with the emergency. The damage was significant. On Friday night after the storm, eight Ohio State parks were without power and Shannon Hoffer of Ohio State Parks estimated that the Little Miami State Park had at least one tree down every mile. More.

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The Friends of the Little Miami State Park, Inc. will use your donation to maintain, improve, publicize and generally support the state park.